I hope the day will come when formal prayer will be a thing of the past. I think the reason why we can not get more people out to the meetings is because we have too many formal prayers in the churches. These formal Christians get up, like this Pharisee, and thank God that they are better than other men; but when a man gets a look at himself he comes in the spirit of the publican.
You see this Pharisee standing and praying with himself, but God could not give him any thing. He was too full of egotism--too full of himself. There was no religion in it. God could not bless him.
Now, for a moment, take a look at that poor publican. Just give his prayer your attention.
There was no capital “I” there--no exalting of himself. “God be merciful to this Pharisee; God be merciful to the other people who have injured me; God be merciful to the church members who have not been true to their belief.”
Was that his prayer?
Thank God, he got to himself. “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” It was very short. He had got his eye upon himself; he saw that his heart was vile; he could not lift his eyes to Heaven. But, thank God, he could lift his heart to Heaven.
There is not a poor publican in the audience tonight but can send up this prayer. No matter what your past life has been--no matter if it has been as black as hell--if you but send up the prayer it will be heard. He did not buy his own righteousness; and God heard his appeal.
Spurgeon, speaking of that publican, said he had the soundest theology of any man in England. He came before God, struck his hand on his heart, and cried: “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”